The biggest contract on the free agent market this winter is likely to go to New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, who has reportedly sought up to $300 million. He won’t get that, but he will get paid, big-time, as the consensus top player available.

After Cano, consensus evaporates. Sporting News’ ranking of the 10 best available infielders is based on expected performance over the life of each free agent’s new contract, as well as value that can be expected relative to their contracts.

Here’s the ranking, along with where each player might fit best — in the event that they wind up on a new team. In most cases, the best fit for a player in 2014 is the same place he played in 2013, but free agency is about having options, so even in cases like Cano’s, where remaining in the Bronx is not only the best plan, but is expected, another choice is presented. Note that all WAR calculations are from baseball-reference.com.

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Robinson Cano, second baseman

Opening Day Age: 31

2013 Stats: .314/.383/.516, 27 HR, 7 SB, 7.6 WAR

The Skinny: Cano has an .899 OPS and 142 home runs over the past five seasons. He’s one of the game’s elite hitters, at a position where defensive prowess is more the norm, and he’s darn good with the glove, too. The question isn’t whether any team in particular would want him — it’s affording his services, and wondering if the high salary that he will command will be worth paying to a 38-year-old at the end of the contract. If Cano helps deliver a couple of championships, the answer to that question is yes.

Best Fit: If Cano doesn’t re-sign with the Yankees, and remember, for the purposes of this exercise, it’s finding the best fit elsewhere, how about the Mets, who would not have to surrender their protected first-round pick to sign Cano? They need an impact bat in the worst way, Cano would pair well with David Wright as a lefty-righty tandem, and although Matt Harvey’s elbow surgery makes contending in 2014 a challenge, adding Cano would open a solid five-year championship window starting in 2015. It also wouldn’t be unprecedented for the Mets to sign a big name with an eye toward another year down the road — Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran signed in Flushing in 2005, the Mets went to the NLCS in 2006, and, well, let’s not remind their fans what happened with championship-caliber teams the subsequent two years. Thanks to young pitching, this window would be open longer.

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Mike Napoli, first baseman

Opening Day Age: 32

2013 Stats: .259/.360/.482, 23 HR, 92 RBI, 4.1 WAR

The Skinny: Napoli strikes out a ton — he set the Red Sox’s team record this year with 187 — but when he hits the ball, it goes a long, long way: his home run in the ALCS in Detroit is flying by your window right now, go look for it. Worries about his hip that turned a multi-year deal in Boston last winter into a one-year deal should still be in the back of any team’s mind when giving up a first-round pick to a slugger who received a qualifying offer. Napoli’s glovework at first base was a pleasant surprise after he spent most of his career with the Angels and Rangers as a catcher.

Best Fit: The Colorado Rockies’ first-round pick is protected, so the qualifying offer that Napoli received is not an issue. There’s an opening at first base in Denver with Todd Helton having retired, and Colorado is a nice place to play for a guy who likes to hit the ball a long, long way.

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Jhonny Peralta, shortstop

Opening Day Age: 31

2013 Stats: .303/.358/.457, 11 HR, 3 SB, 3.3 WAR

The Skinny: Peralta did himself a huge favor by going 11-for-33 with a homer in the playoffs to prove that he was not affected by his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal other than having to sit out the final 50 games of the regular season. He’s not Jose Iglesias with the glove, but he’s not bad, either, and an above-average hitter for a shortstop whose bat should hold up for a few more years.

Best Fit: Peralta going to the Cardinals would make the deepest lineup in the National League even more so, and it would allow Pete Kozma to be used in his appropriate role — late-inning defensive replacement, rather than receiver of 448 plate appearances.

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Stephen Drew, shortstop

Opening Day Age: 31

2013 Stats: .253/.333/.443, 13 HR, 67 RBI, 3.1 WAR

The Skinny: Drew rediscovered his swing in Boston, as anyone who knows who paid attention before his ill-timed 6-for-54 showing in the playoffs, although he did hit that home run in Game 6 of the World Series. The fact that Drew received a qualifying offer from the Red Sox will limit his market, because while he’s a solid hitter at the bottom of the order, and a decent shortstop, he’s not someone you’d want to sacrifice a first-round pick in order to sign to a free-agent contract.

Best Fit: The Twins have a very good defensive shortstop in Pedro Florimon, but Florimon turns 27 in December, and struck out 115 times this year while posting a .221/.281/.330 line. That’s just not good enough to be a starter. Drew would be a big upgrade for a team without a great shortstop in the farm system, and worth a bit of an overpay to get him to Minnesota.

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Justin Morneau, first baseman

Opening Day Age: 32

2013 Stats: .260/.323/.411, 17 HR, 77 RBI, 2.0 WAR

The Skinny: The 2006 American League MVP award feels like a lifetime ago, and Morneau has not been an All-Star since 2010, but he was finally healthy again in 2013, playing in 152 games – his highest total since 2008, when he didn’t miss any action with the Twins. Not being part of the qualifying offer crowd expands Morneau’s market, and given his struggles over the past few years likely to reduce his cost, he has the capability to deliver the most value of almost anyone on the market.

Best Fit: The Rays seem poised to lose James Loney to a team that will overpay for their 2013 first baseman. Meet the next guy who Tampa Bay underpays?

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Kendrys Morales, designated hitter/first baseman

Opening Day Age: 30

2013 Stats: .277/.336/.449, 23 HR, 80 RBI, 2.7 WAR

The Skinny: Morales is a DH who can play first base occasionally, and he’s in receipt of a qualifying offer from the Mariners to return to Seattle. That makes sense, because Morales has shown that he is basically the same hitter as before his horrifying walk-off celebration injury in 2010 forced him to sit out the entire 2011 season. For a guy who’s 30, and hit in Seattle, you could make the argument that giving up the first-round pick is worth it.

Best Fit: The Astros, sitting with a protected pick at No. 1 overall, don’t have to worry about that argument. Houston’s designated hitters batted .198 in their first year in the American League. It’s not a position where a team is really going to groom prospects, so signing Morales would not alter the rebuilding plans, other than to maybe bring the payroll to a level that is in line with baseball economics in this century. Houston isn’t the most desirable free agent destination right now, but Morales can ask himself this question: who contends in the AL West first, the Mariners or the Astros?

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Corey Hart, first baseman

Opening Day Age: 32

2013 Stats: DNP

The Skinny: Hart was a 30-homer man twice in three years before he had to sit out 2013 because of multiple knee surgeries that have turned him from a right fielder to a first baseman. He’s expressed a desire to return to Milwaukee because he feels he owes it to the Brewers, but Hart really might be best served by a switch to the American League, where he could serve occasionally as a designated hitter if the knees prove troublesome in the field. The health risk for a signing team is obvious, but it’s exacerbated by the fact that Hart struck out 151 times in 562 at-bats in 2012 – if he’s not hitting with power, he could put up some very ugly numbers. If the price is right, it could be a low-risk, high-reward situation.

Best Fit: Hart could thrive in Texas as a complementary first baseman to lefty-swinging Mitch Moreland, and more regular DH after that role was primarily filled by Lance Berkman and a .242/.340/.359 line with six homers in 294 plate appearances this year.

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Juan Uribe, third baseman

Opening Day Age: 34

2013 Stats: .278/.331/.438, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 4.1 WAR

The Skinny: Uribe’s 4.1 WAR figure in 2013 nearly matched his figure for the previous four years put together, which was 4.3 — and that includes a 2010 campaign in which Uribe hit 24 homers for the Giants. So, what to expect from a guy who will turn 35 in July? Solid defense at third base, to begin with, and a bat that is capable of big things at big times.

Best Fit: Uribe could be the perfect veteran addition for the Marlins, whose third basemen had the lowest production rates in the majors in 2013, and if his bat is at this year’s level, so much the better.

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James Loney, first baseman

Opening Day Age: 29

2013 Stats: .299/.348/.430, 13 HR, 75 RBI, 2.7 WAR

The Skinny: It would appear that 2012 was a fluke, and that Loney is the player he came to be known as for most of his career with the Dodgers — a first baseman with a good glove who will hit a shade below .300 while contributing 10-15 home runs. He’s Doug Mientkiewicz with an easier to spell name.

Best Fit: The Brewers committed the most errors in the National League this year, and did so while employing Juan Francisco at first base. If Hart winds up in the American League to take advantage of DH opportunities, Loney would be an excellent choice for first base in Milwaukee.

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Omar Infante, second baseman/utility

Opening Day Age: 32

2013 Stats: .318/.345/.450, 10 HR, 5 SB

The Skinny: Capable of playing just about any position, Infante only played second base for the Tigers in 2013, and maybe in part because of that stability, he had his best offensive campaign as a pro. An All-Star as a super-utility man with the Braves in 2010, there will be a temptation for a new team to use Infante in that role, but it’s probably better to have an actual plan for a position for him to play, because his bat is worth having in the lineup.

Best Fit: The Orioles do not have time to be sentimental about the contributions that Brian Roberts has given them for more than a decade. He’s 36 and showing it. It’s time for a change, and Infante can be part of the equation to help Baltimore return to the playoffs after a year on the outside looking in.